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The first vaccine that could stop people catching Lyme disease in the UK has been developed as the tick-borne illness spreads across Britain.

A drugs company is on course to develop the first global vaccine against the disease, which could be up to 96 per cent effective and would be available on the NHS for adults and children as young as two.

The development comes as new Government data shows that the tick that carries the disease has been found in twice as many areas of the UK as it was a decade ago.

Drug company Valneva has successfully completed the first human clinical trials of the vaccine, which concluded that it was safe and effective in protecting against all six types of Lyme disease,...